Improvement in metallic



C. SHARPS.

v Gartridge..

Extented Apr. 15,- 1862.

Witnesses 5W Amm FFICE.

CHRISTIAN SHARPS, 0F PHiLADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ME'JJALLIC CARTRIDGES.

' Specification forming part of Lefiersjuicnt No. 34,987, dated April 15, 1862.

To all who: '1' i may concern lie it known that l, CHRISTIAN Sealers, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an llllll'UYLlllLlli, in Metallic Cartridges; and I do hereby deolari: the ibllowing to be a full, clear. and exacttllMfllllLlOll of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying draw. ing, and to the letters oi reference marked thercon.-

My invention relates to an improvement in the metallic: cartridge used in the French the nrin known as Let'nuchauxs revolver, which has a pin or rod at the rear of the case, and I in the interior a wad in which is embedded a cap to be exploded by the rod when the latter is struck by the hammer; and my improvement consists in making the base of the casing so much stronger than other parts of the some that it will rcsist the shock to which it is subjected, and will retain its form after the discharge of the cartridge, the base being of suilicient thickness to allow for the formation therein of a hole for the reception of the dctonating material, and the rod for exploding the some, as fully described hereafter; the

objcct'of my invention being to avoid the te- (lions manipulation required in constructing this class of cartridges as heretofore made, and to prevent that bulging out at the base to which they are liable, and which tends to impede the free movement of the revolving chambers.

in order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to: describe the manner of constructing the same. j

Un reference to the accompanying drawing,

'which forms a part of this specificationv Figure l is a longitudinal section of in y improved cartridge. Fig. 2 is a transverse sec tion 'on the line 12, Fig.1; and Fig. 3 is a diagram, illustrating the manner of perforating the rear of the cases.

The metallic case A of. the cartridge is drawn from a, solid disk of metal by the usual process, and is, as regards external shape, similnr to that of the cartridge used in the French fire-arm known as Lefanohauxs revolver.

The metal case of the ordinary cartridge used in this weapon is sit the some, or near]; the same, thickness throughout, and contain$ a thick wad forces to the rear, and there ccmented, the wad lmvl'n'gwr central recess in which is deposited a. cap somewhat similar to those used in ordinary fire-arms, this cap beling secured in its place by 3111191331 plate. A l rodor wire passes vertically through the cari tridge near the base, and is so situated that when-its upper end isstrnck by the hammer of the fire-arm, its lower end is brought, in forcible contact with the detonating material in the cap, thereby igniting the powder contained in the case.

There are two serious objections to this @French cartridge: First, it demands tedious l and expensive manipulation. Secondly, the base of the casing being little or no thicker than any other portion of the some, is apt to become bulged out the moment the discharge with the free movement of the cylinder of the revolver. 7

1 overcome both of these objections by lDttK ing the base a of snfllcient thickness not only to resist effectually, and without changing its form, the shock to which it is subjected when the cartridge is discharged, butclso to allow for the forming of an prifice of proper dimer,

and the rod 18 for discharging thesame. The vertical orifice for receiving the rod comma nicates with a, horizontal orifice, D, the detonatin g material 0 being deposited at the point where the two orifices-meet. The orifice D may be readily formed; bya projection or i tbrming the interior of the case, and the V91" iticnl orifice may be formed by drilling, or by the still more simple process'illustratcd in the diagram, Fig. 3, where the'rear of the case is ghardened steel pin, pointed at the end, and having a. reciprocating motion imparted to it, so that it will pass through an opening in' the 'die E and 'ildllfitltli the base aof the case, the latter being mziilc oi copper or other soft metal or alloy, mid-form the desired orifice communicating withthe orifice 1). In penetrating the rear of the case the pin has necessarily a.

takes place, and, consequently, to interfere sions for admitting the detonatin'g material 0. v

jpunch on thecnd of one of the dies used for;

illustrated as being confined bv'anv exterior.

Relic, E, and interior mandrel F, G being a itendency to displace the metal; but as the ex=- *terior of the case is confined, this displace" ment cannot change the external form of the case, the displacement of the metal-taking 1 place in the inside, as represented in the figme, and the internal mandrel being so formed i as to permit the limited bulging out resulting 5 from the penetration of the steel pin.

The Wedding detonating cap or case, and

,the plate for confining the same in the casing of Lefau'chauxs cartridge are thus discarded and the tedious manipulation required in adjusting and securing the same is avoided; at I the same time the base, a, 1s sutficiently thick and'rigid to resist the shocks to which it is subjected, and to prevent that bulging out of the rear of the case which takes place in Lefauchauxs cartridge, and which, as hefore-ref marked, interferes with the free movement of the revolving cylinder-of the fire-arm.

I do not desire to claim, broadly, a cartridge 1 in which the powder is ignited by means of.

denotating' material exploded by a pin pass- I sew ingvtransversely through the rear of the car;

tridge but I claim as-my invention and desire to sccure by Letters Patent- The metallic cartridge-case composed of the hollow'cylinder A, with a base, a, of such a strength as to effectually resist the shock to which it is subjected, and'of such a thickness that an orifice \may he formed in the solid; metal of the base for the reception of the detonating compound, and a rod or wire for exploding the same, as purpose specified.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my herein set iorth, for the 

